I am faced with a decision to make. a while back, i posted a thread about a 79 i was looking to buy, but found out some information i had gotten about the car was not true(wont ask coworkers again) I am looking at a 79 with probably 160,000 miles on chassis, and 70,000 miles on replaced engine. however, all running gear and driveline have been replaced with quality parts. no oil leaks, and frame checked out fine when i took it to a computer aided shop. the engine is not a stock coevette engine, but a replaced 350 cid modified chevrolet engine putting out around 250 hp. i assume the engine year to be inbetween 86 and 94. the exterior is in mint, absolutely no cracks, dents or scratches w/a new paintjob(Arctic white with corvette blue racing stripe on hood scoop and side scoopes) the car looks stunning, when i took it to my mechanic i turned heads for blocks- one guy almost ran into the car ahead of him because he was drooling so much. it is by far the best looking vette in the town, there are about 30-40 vettes here. my mechanic said it was in great shape, and no mechanical problems should pop up in the next couple of years. the only defect in the car is it needs new door panels. other than that, this car has been babied. however, he wnats 12k for the car. is this reasonable? i know many numbers dont match, and this is not a priority for me. this will be a strictly pleasure vehicle, resale is not planned. anyway, sorry for the long thread, but any input is appreciated. thanks and cheers to all the members on the forum. i have yet to see a p.o.s. vette

 

Seems too high to me especially without original engine. Might be in tip top shape outside, but without an orig. engine plus a lot of miles on the chassis I would look to get it under $10K. Of course, this is just my opinion based on what you wrote. It's really worth what a buyer (i.e. you is willing to pay).

Good Luck...

 

Seeing the engine is not original, kills the value of the car. You should be able to get it at least 2 or 3 thousand dollars cheaper. If the guy is reasonable, he'll realize this and negotiate a good price with you. Good luck.

:cheers:

 

if the car is as good mechanically as you and the mechanic say,i wouldn't let the miles affect a decision,as long as the frame is not rusty in front of the rear wheels. these cars can be re-built,there's a 75 in town that is on its way to 300,000. i'm not sure if the owner knows that,but the car was rebuilt twice in florida,each time at approx 100,000. one could argue that without the original motor the value is less,but one could also argue that since the original motor wasn't much of a motor it has no bearing. it's kinda of a tuff call to make. i would offer $10,000,as the replacement motor at 250 hp is about $1400 for the same thing from GM in a crate motor,it's nothing special.my 2 cents.

 

i have owned a 79 and they are a good car,but i must agree that a price of 12kus is really high.thats like 18 thousand where i live!if i were you i whould keep looking it will be there when you turn around.

 

The argument about "mileage doesn't matter" may have it's valid points but this is still a high mileage car. Yes, Corvettes can be rebuilt and live on for 200,000 miles.

I have a '79 that is in great running condition but I know that on a 22-year-old Chevrolet, something expensive can go wrong any minute. If you really want the car, i would use its mileage as a bartering point in your favor even though it may or may not be that significant. And I wouldn't give over $10K for it.

 

You say:

Does this mean the differential and Trailing arms have been rebuilt, and if so, when? If it was at 80,000 miles, that means there's another 80,000 on them. Unless those have been rebuilt recently, mileage DOES matter. My feeling about these cars is this. The engine's nothing. You can do a lot of work on them yourself, they're carb'ed and not computer controlled, so they're pretty simple. Even if they quit, you can buy another one for $1,200. On the other hand, the things that scare the bejeezus out of me, and most people will tell you to take to a professional is the Trailing Arms and differential. Even if you remove them yourself, you're still talking $1,500 - $2,000 for parts and re-build service. If those have been re-buil RECENTLY, I would consider paying $10k for it, otherwise, I might give him $8k

 

I will give this a try with a comparison, albeit cross-border. This is my 1979 L-82 with 44,000 miles. Completely stock with original motor and transmission. Unaltered except for a chrome shift ****.... New Al Knoch interior, DuPont Chroma Premier paint, exhaust with high-flow cat con, rear bearings, SS brakes, etc. With all receipts of course. If I were to sell, this car would go for between $16-18k CDN or about $11-12K US. I was offered $16k CDN last summer. I would say that $12k US for your target vehicle is too high for a high mileage car with a replacement engine. I am not an NCRS type but I have watched originality and numbers matching creep up in importance through the years. In fact, the first question along those lines was posed to me about three years ago. I never thought the 1979 model year would be touched in that way but I now believe the time may have come.

About $8k would be a reasonable price for the car you have described.








[Modified by paul79, 1:24 PM 12/12/2001]


[Modified by paul79, 1:26 PM 12/12/2001]

 

Check the rear frame at the kickup and trailing arm pockets. Notorious bad spots on C-3's (and C-2's). IMHO, replacing the motor doesn't "kill" the value of a Corvette, CONTRARY to some vocal opinions in the Corvette arena. Let's be realistic; what GOOD is a 20+ year old 195 h.p.motor with 160,000+ mi. in a CORVETTE??????? Gimme a new ZZ4 or better ANY DAY!
This perverted "matching numbers" crap has RUINED the Corvette market by creating a false god. Everybody SERIOUSLY involved in the hobby KNOWS that 90+% of "matching numbers" cars are counterfeit. It's a big game with many guys. They're so busy worshipping #'s that they can't enjoy the real end here, the Corvette itself. The Corvette is SUPPOSED to be a performance sports car.
They made over 50,000 1979 Corvettes anyway. So they, like MOST ALL other Corvettes, will NEVER be a rare car. If you like it and can afford it, then BUY it and enjoy it!
:yesnod: :yesnod: :chevy :yesnod: :yesnod:

 

But it can drive the market price. And that was the question posed.

 

Hey bud you should be able to get a vette with around 40,000 to 50,000 miles with the original motor still in it for $12,000 or less . This sounds alittle pricey to me. Unseen things can wear on a car that will have to be fixed with 160,000 miles, but at a cost to you if you buy it. Alot of people wouldn't even dream of keeping the family car for that many miles for fear of nickle and dimeing them to death. :chevy

 

[QUOTE]
About $8k would be a reasonable price for the car you have described.





[QUOTE]

I would think Paul is right at about $8k.

Paul, I also wanted to mention that how great your 79 looks, I hope my 78 will look as good as yours does one day.
:cheers:

 

Ken,
It has taken about $18k over time to get to a $12k car. That's the way these cars are. They are not investments. I hope the poster realizes what he is getting into. They are enjoyable money pits.